By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
FENNVILLE—Talk about getting defensive.
In its showdown with Allegan County rival Fennville on Friday, Feb. 24, the Allegan girls basketball team held the Blackhawks to six points or less in each quarter.
The result was a 42-16 victory that pushed Allegan’s record to 7-13, while Fennville slipped to 4-17.
The strong defensive play helped the Tigers overcome a sluggish start offensively.
Allegan managed just four points in the opening stanza, but still led 4-1. The Tigers pushed that lead to 21-5 by halftime.
“This was a big road win for us to close out the regular season and secure the season sweep over Fennville,” Allegan coach Sharron Thompson said. “We struggled to score in the first quarter, but good defense can keep you in games until you catch your offensive groove and that was the case for us.”
Carlee Rynearson paced Allegan with 16 points, while Katelyn VanAtter joined her in double figures with 11 points. Ireland Ashley added seven points.
For Fennville, Christina Mendoza led the way with six points, followed by Kylie Bushee with five and Lila Rosema with four.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20, Allegan hosted Kalamazoo Christian and lost 57-29.
Rynearson had 11 points, with VanAtter going for 10.
Allegan trailed 35-21 at the intermission and 44-28 after three quarters.
On that same day, Fennville fell to Lawton 52-17.
The game featured the varsity debuts of Reese Anyaya and Josylin Andrade for the Blackhawks, as both were pulled from the JV squad. Anyaya got in the scoring column with one point, while Andrade snagged some rebounds.
“I was extremely happy to for Reese to make the scoring chart,” Fennville coach Josh Weimer said. “And Josylin also played well. I’m very proud of both of them.”
Bushee paced Fennville with eight points, while Madisynn Jefferson had six.